1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to communications systems, methods and devices. More particularly, exemplary embodiments of the invention concern systems and methods directed to providing location-based, context-aware content and displaying it within a ticker on a user device.
2. Related Technology
The popularity of the Internet has given rise to a plethora of information services as consumers have become accustomed to accessing timely, personalized news and information. As a result, demand for these types of content services continues to grow. Scrolling information displays, referred to herein as “tickers,” are one type of content distribution mechanism that can give a viewer a quick, high-level update, and they have become commonplace on the television news and on sports channels, providing viewers with “at-a-glance” headlines, breaking news, weather reports, sports scores and other updates.
One early example of a scrolling information display or “ticker” on a personal computer (PC) system was that provided by PointCast. Through the PointCast service, PC users could subscribe to news and information channels of interest and receive periodic updates on their computer displays, often in the form of a scrolling information display at the bottom of the user's display screen—commonly known as a ticker. An even earlier example of the use of tickers in conjunction with a PC was the ticker provided by gaming company Catapult Entertainment, Inc. The Catapult ticker, in addition to providing information to users of the gaming system about news and current events and gaming-related information such as upcoming tournaments, high scores, and new software releases, was also interactive through the use of the computer mouse. Rather than being limited to the information in the ticker, the user could click on an item in the ticker having a Universal Resource Identifier (URI) associated with it, which would then cause a web page to be displayed with additional information about that item. More recently, through the use of messaging systems with near-universal reach such as the Short Messaging System (SMS), mobile workers can now receive up-to-the-minute business, financial and customer information on their mobile devices from various news and entertainment content providers and from many other information sources, including corporate portals and customer relationship management applications. Furthermore, tickers are beginning to appear as a method for dynamic information display on mobile communication devices, such as cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and “smart” phones.
While the value of receiving personalized, timely information in a condensed, quickly-read format such as a ticker is indisputable, the information tickers known in the art could be significantly improved. The continued, rapid growth of mobile communication device use is a reflection of the mobile society in which we live, and increasingly we rely on these devices for news and other information in addition to staying in touch with co-workers, friends and family. Furthermore, the location of a mobile communication device having a connection to a network can be easily determined through signal triangulation methods or other methods, and the proliferation of GPS enabled devices fueled by government regulatory requirements to improve public safety means that the location of any cell phone or other mobile communication device can be established. Smaller devices such as wristwatches that can receive information updates promise to make it even more convenient to always carry a mobile communication device, and as applications for these devices such as messaging, calendars and appointment reminders, news alerts, and traffic reports become more popular, the mobile communication device is becoming a more essential requirement for users to guide them through the day. As users of these devices move around from home to work, in and out of conference rooms and buildings, between terminals in an airport, from neighborhood to neighborhood, city to city, and between states and countries, they could benefit significantly from an information service that takes into account their geographical location and information preferences and then provides at-a-glance updates to the user's device that are meaningful and useful to the user in their current location. However, existing ticker services are not capable of responding to the geographic location of the user or providing information that is tailored to the current location of the user.